ATLANTA — “I felt like in that moment, I was alone.”
Delta Air Lines flight attendant Kathryn Iribarren explains the moment she was diagnosed with breast cancer.
It’s a feeling many people know all too well. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates 240,000 cases of breast cancer are diagnosed in women and about 2,100 in men each year.
The CDC estimates that 42,000 women and 500 men die from breast cancer each year.
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On Monday, Kathryn and about 150 other survivors, who are also Delta employees, attended a party ahead of a special “survivors flight” to Salt Lake City, Utah. The event is held each year with the Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
The group got a special surprise from former NFL quarterback Tom Brady. He thanked the group for all they’ve done.
“You guys have inspired a lot of people through your bravery, your courage, and resilience in fighting a very difficult disease,” Brady said.
Brady also told them his mother is seven years in remission, so, fundraising for research is something he’s passionate about.
Monday’s flight not only celebrates breast cancer fighters and survivors, it gives them a chance to connect to others who have shared experiences.
“Being in this situation at an event like this, you see how many people have tone through this. It’s just amazing because you have that support group there for you. That’s what got me through it, honestly,” Iribarren said.
This year, Delta Air Lines has already raised $3 million for research.
The president and CEO of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation noted October is breast cancer awareness month.
“It’s a month to be grateful and thankful for developments that have made treatments more accessible and more successful. But, it’s also a time to dig in and make sure we do everything we can to put breast cancer in the history books,” Donna McKay said.
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